Chapters 16-22

[peter_coffin]

Shipmates! My profoundest apologies for the tardiness of this post. RL got a little crazy and I totally forgot about my sacred duty. Oh well, have at 'em.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Well, that "Ramadan" thing was weird. But I guess it goes to show how much Ishmael loves Queequeg? He was adorably worried, even if he did say impolite things about a religion he doesn't follow.

Speaking of religion, I totally forgot to take pics of the privateer's tablet at my church. I'll try to remember next week!

[(Anonymous)]

I think I need to start taking notes when I read, because I remember thinking "ooh, I need to talk about this!" a few times when I was reading this week's (or, well, this past week now) chapters, but now all I remember is that this part (particularly the bolded bit) amused me:

"He's killed himself," she cried. "It's unfort'nate Stiggs done over again--there goes another counterpane--God pity his poor mother!--it will be the ruin of my house. Has the poor lad a sister? Where's that girl?--there, Betty, go to Snarles the Painter, and

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I think I need to start taking notes when I read, because I remember thinking "ooh, I need to talk about this!" a few times when I was reading this week's (or, well, this past week now) chapters, but now all I remember is that this part (particularly the bolded bit) amused me:

<i>"He's killed himself," she cried. "It's unfort'nate Stiggs done over again--there goes another counterpane--God pity his poor mother!--it will be the ruin of my house. Has the poor lad a sister? Where's that girl?--there, Betty, go to Snarles the Painter, and <btell him to paint me a sign, with--"no suicides permitted here, >and no smoking in the parlor;"--might as well kill both birds at once.</b> Kill? The Lord be merciful to his ghost! What's that noise there? You, young man, avast there!"</i>

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I screwed that up. Sorry! Here's it posted again, with proper html:

"He's killed himself," she cried. "It's unfort'nate Stiggs done over again--there goes another counterpane--God pity his poor mother!--it will be the ruin of my house. Has the poor lad a sister? Where's that girl?--there, Betty, go to Snarles the Painter, and tell him to paint me a sign, with--"no suicides permitted here, and no smoking in the parlor;"--might as well kill both birds at once. Kill? The Lord be merciful to his ghost! What's that noise there? You, young man, avast there!"

[(Anonymous)]

I liked that bit, too. It's the sort of thing I can imagine English professors hanging on their refrigerators.

[(Anonymous)]

I feel as though I ought to have more to say about these chapters, what with Queequeg's Ramadan, and Ishmael's choice of the Pequod, and of course the mysterious Ahab. And what in the world does one do with Elijah?

I wonder whether Ishmael's uneasiness about the Ramadan - and Lent - is something that will come up again later: that obsession, any obsession, is unhealthy, whether it's for religion or money or vengeance.

The bits I find most amusing in these chapters are Peleg and Bildad's coordinated trickery over Ishmael's share, and Aunt Charity going to-and-fro with useful things and leaving improving copies of the metrical psalms behind her. The most unnerving is learning that Ahab has a wife and child; I suppose they wouldn't see him much, but...brrrrr.

[(Anonymous)]

I thought the contrast between the preacher and Queequeg vs the prophet and Peleg/Bildad was interesting. Sincerity and openness vs...not.